Happy Birthday this week to:
Jun 26
1893 ● William Lee “Big Bill” Broonzy → Pioneering Chicago blues guitarist and prolific songwriter with over 300 titles, including standards such as “All By Myself” (1941) and “Key To The Highway” (1941), died from throat cancer on 8/15/1958, age 65
1909 ● Colonel Tom Parker (Andreas Cornelius Van Kuijk) → Dutch-born entertainment impresario, manager for Gene Austin, Eddy Arnold and Hank Snow, then took over as Elvis Presley‘s manager in 1955, died from a stroke on 1/21/1997, age 87
1940 ● Billy Davis, Jr. → Founding member and vocals for mainstream R&B/soul-pop The 5th Dimension, “Up, Up And Away” (1967), solo, Grammy-winning duet with wife Marilyn McCoo,”You Don’t Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)” (#1, 1976)
1942 ● Larry Taylor → Bassist for blues-rock/boogie-rock Canned Heat, “Going Up The Country” (#11, 1968)
1943 ● Georgie Fame (Clive Powell) → Brit R&B, jazz and pop-rock vocalist and keyboard player, “The Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde” (#7, UK #1, 1968)
1948 ● Richard McCarken → Bassist for Irish blues-rock power trio Taste, On The Boards album reached UK #18 in 1970
1950 ● Junior Daye → Vocals for Philly-style Brit R&B/soul Sweet Sensation, “Sad Sweet Dreamer” (, , 1975)
1955 ● Michael Geoffrey “Mick” Jones → Co-founder and lead guitarist of influential and acclaimed punk-ska-dance-rock The Clash, “Rock The Casbah” (#8, 1982), left in 1983 to form funk-punk Big Audio Dynamite, “V. Thirteen” (Dance/Club #15, 1987)
1955 ● Ivan Julian → Guitarist and founding member of seminal punk/New Wave Richard Hell And The Voidoids, “Love Comes In Spurts” from the album Blank Generation (1977)
1956 ● Chris Isaak → Rockabilly and roots rock singer/songwriter/guitarist, “Wicked Game” (#6, 1990), occasional actor and TV talk show host
1957 ● Patty Smyth → Lead vocals for hard/arena rock Scandal, “The Warrior” (#7, 1984), left in 1984 for solo career, “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” (#2, 1992)
1959 ● Stef Burns → Guitarist for pop-rock bar band Huey Lewis & The News, “The Power Of Love” (#1, 1985)
1960 ● Chris Duffy → Vocals in Welsh pop-rock duo Waterfront, “Cry” (#10, 1989)
1961 ● Terri Nunn → Vocals for New Wave synth-pop Berlin, “Take My Breath Away” (#1, 1986)
1963 ● Harriet Wheeler → Vocals for Brit alt-indie-rock The Sundays, “Here’s Where The Story Ends” (Modern Rock #1, 1990)
1966 ● Par Wiksten → Guitar and vocals for Swedish alt rock The Wannadies, “You And Me Song” (UK #18, 1996)
1969 ● Colin Greenwood → Bassist for alt/indie rock Radiohead, “There There” (Modern Rock #14, 2003)
1969 ● Mark Decloedt → Drummer for Brit dance-rock quintet EMF (“Epsom Mad Funkers”), “Unbelievable” (#1, 1990)
1972 ● Jussi Sydänmaa → Guitarist for Finnish heavy metal monster-masked Lordi, winners if 2006 Eurovision Song Contest with “Hard Rock Hallelujah”
1973 ● Gretchen Wilson → Country singer/songwriter, “Redneck Woman” (#22, Country #1, 2004)
1975 ● Paul Phillips → On-again, off-again lead guitarist, singer and songwriter for post-grunge Puddle Of Mudd, “Blurry” (#5, 2001)
1979 ● Ivan Nathan Followill → Drummer for Southern blues-indie rock Kings Of Leon, “Sex On Fire” (Modern Rock #1, 2008)
1979 ● Ryan Tedder → Songwriter, producer, founding member for self-proclaimed “genreless” pop-rock OneRepublic, “Apologize” (#1, 2006), the most popular digital download/highest airplay song ever to-date
1980 ● Jason Schwartzman → Drummer for power pop/indie rock Phantom Planet, “California” (Modern Rock #35, 2002), TV and film actor plus solo music projects
1993 ● Ariana Grande (Butera) → Broadway and TV actor, voice artist and pop singer with seven Top 10 hits in the 10s inckuding “Problem” (#2, 2014)
Jun 27
1925 ● Doc Pomus (Jerome Felder) → Blues singer, guitarist and performer turned prolific rock and pop songwriter, wrote or co-wrote with collaborator and pianist Mort Shuman many memorable hits, including “Turn Me Loose” (Fabian, #9, 1959), “Teenager In Love” (Dion & The Belmonts, #5, 1959), “Save The Last Dance For Me” (The Drifters, #1, 1960), “Sweets For My Sweet” (The Drifters, #16, 1961), and “Viva Las Vegas” (Elvis Presley, #29, 1964), died from lung cancer on 3/14/1991, age 65
1942 ● Bruce Johnston (Benjamin Baldwin) → Guitar and vocals for surf-pop-rock The Beach Boys, “Good Vibrations” (#1, 1966), solo, wrote Grammy-winning “I Write The Songs” for Barry Manilow (#1, 1976)
1945 ● Joey Covington (Joseph Michno) → Session and touring drummer in the mid-60s, joined psych-rock Jefferson Airplane in 1969 and co-wrote the band’s last chart hit “Pretty As You Feel” (#60, 1972), left in the early 70s but continued in the San Francisco music scene, co-wrote “With Your Love” (#6, 1976) for Jefferson Starship and worked in a reformed Quicksilver Messenger Service and other Bay-area revival and all-star bands, died in a head-on car collision on 6/4/2013, age 67
1951 ● Gilson Lavis → Drummer in Chuck Berry‘s band, also toured with Jerry Lee Lewis and Dolly Parton, then 1976-92 with New Wave pop-rock Squeeze, “Tempted” (#49, 1981), now Jools Holland’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra
1958 ● Lisa Germano → American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, 1994 album Geek The Girl, session work for David Bowie, Sheryl Crow, Iggy Pop, Jewel, John Mellencamp, Simple Minds and others
1958 ● Jeffrey Lee Pierce → Hard-living guitarist, singer and founder of 80s L.A. alt punk rock/cowpunk The Gun Club, left for a brief solo career but returned in 1987, died from a drug addiction-related brain hemorrhage on 3/31/1996, age 37
1959 ● Loretta Lynn “Lorrie” Morgan → Country-pop singer, “What Part Of No” (Country #1, 1992) and 17 other Country Top 20 hits
1962 ● Michael Ball → Brit TV host, stage actor and pop singer, “Love Changes Everything” (UK #2, 1989)
1970 ● Laurence Colbert → Drummer for Brit neo-psych shoegazing band Ride, “Twisterella” (Modern Rock #12, 1992)
1976 ● Leigh Nash → Singer for Christian pop-rock Sixpence None The Richer, “Kiss Me” (#2, 1998)
1983 ● Evan David Taubenfeld → Lead guitarist and vocals with Avril Lavigne, “Complicated” #2, 2002), formed punk-pop The Black List Club in 2004
Jun 28
1902 ● Richard Rodgers → Stage, film and TV music composer and lyricist with over 900 titles and 43 musicals, collaborator with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein III on some of the best-known songs in popular music, died on 12/30/1979, age 77
1936 ● Cathy Carr (Angelina Catherine Cordovano) → USO-tour and Big Band vocalist, later one hit wonder languid pop singer with her rendition of “Ivory Tower” (#2, 1956), continued to record through the 60s with little notice, died from unspecified causes on 11/22/1988, age 52
1943 ● Bobby Harrison → Drummer for prog/psych rock Procol Harum, “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” (#5, 1967), formed psych rock Freedom in 1968
1945 ● David Knights → Original bass guitarist for prog/psych rock Procol Harum, “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” (#5, 1967), left in 1969
1959 ● Clint Boon → Keyboards for Brit psych-alt rock Inspiral Carpets, “Two Worlds Collide” (Modern Rock #8, 1992), formed The Clint Boon Experience in 1995
1963 ● Beverley Craven → Brit easy listening singer/songwriter and balladeer, “Promise Me” (UK #3, 1991) and “Holding On” (Adult Contemporary #30, 1992)
1963 ● Charles Clouser → Keyboardist and drummer for industrial rock Nine Inch Nails, “The Day The World Went Away” (#17, 1999), producer and sound engineer for Deftones, White Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Rammstein and others
1965 ● Saul Davis → Guitar and violin for Brit alt pop-rock James, “Sit Down” (UK #2, 1991) and “Laid” (#61, Modern Rock #3, 1994)
1966 ● Bobby Bare, Jr. → Country and roots rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, at age 8 received a Grammy nomination with his father, Bobby Bare, for the duet “Daddy What If” (#41, Country #2, 1974), frontman for alt country-rock Young Criminals Starvation League and indie rock Bare Jr.
1971 ● Ray Slijngaard → Vocals for Euro dance-pop 2 Unlimited, “Tribal Dance” (Dance/Club #7, 1993)
1977 ● Mark Stoermer → Bass guitarist for pop-alt hard rock The Killers, “Mr. Brightside” (#10, 2005)
1979 ● Tim McCord → Bassist for Grammy-winning goth-pop-metal Evanescence, “Bring Me To Life” (#5, 2003)
1986 ● Kellie Dawn Pickler → American Idol runner-up and contemporary country/country-pop singer with eight Country Top 40 hits, including “Best Days Of Your Life” (Country #12, 2008) from the Country #1 (Pop #9) album Kellie Pickler
Jun 29
1901 ● Nelson Eddy → Classically-trained baritone pop and opera crossover singer and movie actor with nearly 300 recordiings and 19 films, often with singing partner Jeanette MacDonald, died hours after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage while performing in Florida on 3/6/1967, age 65
1910 ● Frank Loesser → Tony- and Oscar-winning Broadway and film composer, wrote the lyrucs and music to Guys And Dolls and How To Success In Business Without Really Trying, wrote “Baby It’s Cold Outside” (1944), the Academy Awards best song of the year, died from lung cancer on 7/26/1969, age 59
1911 ● Bernard Herrmann → Innovative, Academy Award-winning film score composer best known for composing the music to Psycho, North By Northwest, Vertigo, Taxi Driver and dozesn of other films, and the theme songs to The Twilight Zone and Have Gun – Will Travel, died in his sleep on 12/24/1975, age 64
1935 ● Johnnie Richardson → One half of the R&B vocal duo Johnnie & Joe, “Over The Mountain, Across The Sea” (#8, R&B #3, 1957) and two other R&B Top 20 hits in 1957, played the oldies circuit and recorded a 1982 album, died following a stroke on 10/25/1988, age 53
1936 ● Leonard Lee → One half of 50s teen R&B/pop male-female contrasting duet-style Shirley & Lee, “Let The Good Times Roll” (#20, R&B #1, 1956), a solo career following a split from Shirley Goodman met with little success, became a social worker and died of a heart attack on 10/23/1976, age 40
1938 ● Billy Storm → Frontman for 50s rock ‘n’ roll Billy Storm & The Valiants, “I’ve Come Of Age” (#28, 1959)
1940 ● L. Russell “Larry” Brown → Lyricist and composer, wrote or co-wrote numerous pop hits, including “C’mon Marianne” (#9, 1967) for The Four Seasons, “I Woke Up In Love This Morning” (#13, 1971) for The Partridge Family, and “Knock Three Times” (#1, 1971) and “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree” (#1, 1973) for Tony Orlando And Dawn
1942 ● Gilberto Gil (Moreira) → Brazilian “tropicalia” samba-salsa-pop-rock fusion singer and guitarist, Grammy-winning album Quanta Gente Veio Ver: Ao Vivo (1998), Minister of Culture for Brazil, 2003-2008
1943 ● Roger Ruskin Spear → Co-founder, kazoo, Jew’s harp, musical toy instrumentalist for Brit comedy-rock Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, “I’m The Urban Spaceman” (UK #5, 1968), died 1/18/1990
1945 ● Little Eva (Boyd) → Babysitter and maid for songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin, who wrote her hit “The Loco-Motion” (#1, 1962) about her dancing while doing housework, died of cervical cancer on 4/10/2003, age 57
1948 ● Ian Paice → Drummer for hard rock/prog rock Deep Purple, “Smoke On The Water” (#4, 1973), the only constant member of the band since it formed in 1968, also played with hard rock Whitesnake, “Here I Go Again” (#1, 1987)
1948 ● Bill Kirchen → The “Dieselbilly King,” versatile rockabilly, boogie, Western swing, rock ‘n’ roll and trucking music guitarist with Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen, “Hot Rod Lincoln” (#9, 1972), multiple solo albums including the Grammy-winning Word To The Wise (2010), frontman for several bands and tours/sessions with Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris and others
1948 ● Lincoln Gordon → With twin brother Dervin, Jamaican-born guitarist for Brit reggae-pop The Equals, “Baby Come Back” (#32, 1968)
1948 ● Dervin Gordon → With twin brother Lincoln, Jamaican-born lead vocals for Brit reggae-pop The Equals, “Baby Come Back” (#32, 1968)
1953 ● Colin Hay → Co-founder, vocals and guitar for Scottish-Australian Men At Work, “Down Under” (#1, UK #1, 1983), their Grammy-winning debut album, Business As Usual, was simultaneously the #1 US and UK album in January 1983, gaining them the distinction of being the only Aussie band to hold all four top spots at once
1954 ● Billy Hinsche → High school classmate and member of teenage bubblegum pop trio Dino, Desi & Billy with Dean Paul Martin and Desi Arnaz Jr., “I’m A Fool” (#17, 1965), later became a session and touring guitarist for The Beach Boys and the brother-in-law of Carl Wilson
1964 ● Steadman Pearson → Vocals for Brit family R&B/dance-pop quintet 5 Star, “Can’t Wait Another Minute” (#41, Dance/Club #7, 1986) and fifteen Top 40 singles in native England
1978 ● Sam Farrar → Bassist for power pop/indie rock Phantom Planet, “California” (Modern Rock #35, 2002), son of John Farrar of The Shadows (“Apache,” Worldwide #1, 1960)
1978 ● Nicole Scherzinger → Vocals for all-girl teen dance-pop quintet Eden’s Crush, “Get Over Yourself” (#1, 2001), the first #1 debut single by an all-female group, then lead singer for dance-pop Pussycat Dolls, “Don’t Cha” (#2, 2005), solo, “Baby Love” (Dance/Club #4, 2007), winner of Dancing With The Stars in 2010
1979 ● Richard Breen → Vocals for Brit dance-pop boy band 5ive (aka Five), “When The Lights Go Out” (#10, 1998)
1983 ● Aundrea Aurora Fimbres → Singer for MTV Making the Band program winner and pre-fab, all-girl dance-pop quintet Danity Kane, “Show Stopper” (#8, 2006)
Jun 30
1917 ● Lena Horne → Grammy-winning contemporary pop singer, stage, film and TV actress and nightclub entertainer with a 70 year career from the Cotton Club in the 30s to Hollywood films in the 40s to blacklisting in the 50s and to TV and Broadway in the 70s and 80s, , recorded several charting hits, inclduing “Love Me Or Leave Me” (#19, 1955), died from unspecified causes on 5/9/2010, age 92
1936 ● Dave Van Ronk → Folk and acoustic blues singer/songwriter and guitarist, figurehead in the 60s Greenwich Village folk coffeehouse scene, influenced Bob Dylan and many other young folksters, died from complications of colon cancer surgery on 2/10/2002, age 65
1937 ● Lawrence Joel “Larry” Henley → Lead vocals for pop-rock trio The Newbeats, “Bread And Butter” (#2, 1964) but better known as a Nashville songwriter with several Country #1 hits and for co-writing “Wind Beneath My Wings” (#1, 1989) for Bette Midler, died from complications of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases on 12/18/2014, age 77
1939 ● Tony Hatch → Composer, pianist, Pye Records staff songwriter, producer for The Searchers, David Bowie, the Montanas and others, wrote “Downtown” for Petula Clark (#1, 1964)
1940 ● Larry Hall → One hit wonder pop singer with the debut hit “Sandy” (#15, 1960), left the industry after several unsuccessful follow-ups and became an Oregon cattle rancher, died from cancer on 9/24/1997, age 57
1943 ● Flo Ballard (Florence Glenda Ballard Chapman) → Founding member and singer with R&B/soul-pop trio The Supremes, “Where Did Our Love Go” (#1, 1964), left in 1967 when Motown snubbed her and pushed Diana Ross to the front, tried to become a solo act but was largely unsuccessful, died of a heart attack on 2/22/1976, age 32
1944 ● Glenn Shorrock → Songwriter, lead vocals and co-founder of several top-level Aussie pop/rock bands, including Little River Band, “Lonesome Loser” (#6, 1979), solo
1946 ● William “Billy” Brown → Vocals for R&B/soul trio The Moments, “Love On A Two-Way Street” (#3, 1970), then name change to sweet soul Ray, Goodman & Brown, “Special Lady” (#5, R&B #1, 1979)
1949 ● Andy Scott → Guitar and synthesizer for neo-bubblegum/glam pop-rock Sweet, “Ballroom Blitz” (#5, 1973)
1951 ● Stanley Clarke → Virtuoso electric and acoustic jazz and jazz-rock fusion bassist, bandleader and solo, “Sweet Baby” (#19, R&B #6, 1981), collaborated with Chick Corea in fusion band Return To Forever, session work for Santana, Keith Richards, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney and others, film score composer
1953 ● Hal Lindes → Guitarist and film score composer, joined post-punk New Wave rock Dire Straits, “Money For Nothing” (#1, 1985) in 1981, solo and session work
1956 ● Philip Adrian Wright → Joined synth-pop pioneers The Human League, “Don’t You Want Me” (#1, 1981) in 1978 as “Director of Visuals”, learned keyboards, left the band in 1986 to pursue graphic design
1957 ● Doug Sampson → Original drummer for Brit heavy metal Iron Maiden, “Flight Of Icarus” (Mainstream Rock #8, 1983), left the band in 1977 to escape the rigors of constant touring and never played professionally again
1962 ● Julianne Regan → Vocals for goth-rock All About Eve, “Martha’s Harbour” (UK #10, 1988)
1963 ● Yngwie Malmsteen → Swedish composer, bandleader and technically accomplished neo-classical heavy metal guitarist, pioneer of the lightning fast “shredding” technique, “Heaven Tonight” (Mainstream Rock #19, 1988)
1967 ● Peter James “Cammy” Camell → Bass and rhythm guitar for Brit jangle pop The La’s, “There She Goes” (#49, UK #13, 1991)
1968 ● Philip Anselmo → Lead vocals for alt heavy metal Pantera, “Planet Caravan” (Mainstream Rock #21, 1994)
1969 ● Tom Drummond → Bassist for alt pop-rock trio Better Than Ezra, “Good” (#30, Modern Rock #1, 1995)
1979 ● Andrew Burrows → Drummer for Brit-Swede indie pop-rock Razorlight, “America” (UK #1, 2006)
1983 ● Cheryl Cole (Cheryl Ann Tweedy) → Singer in pre-fab all-girl Euro-pop vocal group Girls Aloud, “Sound Of The Underground” (UK #1, 2002), judge on the UK version of The X Factor in 2008, solo, “Fight For This Love” (UK #1, 2009)
1983 ● Anton Gordon → Vocals in teen pop boy band One True Voice, “Sacred Trust / After You’re Gone” (UK #2, 2002)
1984 ● Fantasia (Barrino) → R&B/soul singer, actress, “I Believe” (#1, 2004), the first debut single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart
1985 ● T-Pain (Faheem Rasheed Najm) → R&B/hip hop MC and singer, “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” (#1, 2007)
1992 ● Lynx Vaughan Gaede → With fraternal twin sister Lamb, one half of the white supremacist bubblegum teen pop/”hate rock” duo Prussian Blue, “I Will Bleed For You” (2004)
1992 ● Lamb Lennon Gaede → With fraternal twin sister Lynx, one half of the white supremacist bubblegum teen pop/”hate rock” duo Prussian Blue, “I Will Bleed For You” (2004)
Jul 01
1915 ● Willie Dixon → The “Poet Laureate of the Blues,” vital Chicago blues pioneer, singer, songwriter and guitarist, composed over 500 songs, including recognized standards such as “Spoonful,” “Back Door Man,” “Hoochie Coochie Man,” “Little Red Rooster” and many others, major influence on blues-rockers, including The Allman Brothers Band, Cream, The Doors, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones, died of heart failure on 1/29/1992, age 76
1928 ● Bobby Day (Robert James Byrd) → R&B/doo wop vocals and songwriter with The Hollywood Flames, “Buzz Buzz Buzz” (#11, R&B #5, 1957), then solo, “Rockin’ Robin” (#2, R&B #1, 1958), later one half of the duo Bob & Earl, “Harlem Shuffle” (#44, 1963), died of cancer on 1/27/1990, age 62
1933 ● Eddie Bond → Pioneer rockabilly star, singer and guitarist, “Rockin’ Daddy” (1956), toured on the Louisiana Hayride with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton and others, radio DJ
1939 ● Delaney Bramlett → Accomplished guitarist and songwriter, member of house band The Shindogs for TV pop music variety show Shindig, one half of husband/wife front for rock/soul revue Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, “Never Ending Song Of Love” (#13, 1971), worked with Eric Clapton, Dave Mason and George Harrison died from complications of gall bladder surgery on 12/27/2008, age 69
1942 ● Andraé Crouch → The “Father of Modern Gospel,” Grammy-winning, renowned and respected pioneer of contemporary gospel, singer, writer, producer, solo artist, “I’ll Be Thinking Of You” (R&B #69, 1980), collaborated with Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Madonna and others, film score composer and pastor, died following a heart attack on 1/8/2015, age 72
1945 ● Debbie Harry → Singer and frontwoman for New Wave pop-rock Blondie, “Heart Of Glass” (#1, 1979), solo, “In Love With Love” (#70, Dance/Club #1, 1987)
1946 ● June Monteiro → Singer for pop girl trio The Toys, “A Lover’s Concerto” (#2, 1965)
1948 ● John Ford → Bass and acoustic guitar for Brit folk-prog-rock The Strawbs, “Part Of The Union” (UK #2, 1973), formed rock duo Hudson Ford with bandmate/drummer Richard Hudson, “Pick Up The Pieces” (UK #8, 1973), then punk rock The Monks, “Nice Legs Shame About Her Face” (UK #19, 1979)
1949 ● John Farnham → Hugely popular solo pop-rock singer and songwriter in his native Australia, “You’re The Voice” (#82, UK #6, 1987)
1951 ● Victor Willis → Original member, lead singer, songwriter and policeman or naval officer character for campy, suggestive gay pop-rock vocal man band The Village People, “Y.M.C.A.” (#2, 1978), co-wrote most of the band’s hit songs and became embroiled in a copyright dispute after leaving in 1980, released a solo album in 2015 that had been recorded in 1979
1951 ● Fred Schneider → Vocals and frontman for New wave alt-dance-rock The B-52’s, “Love Shack” (#3, 1989)
1952 ● Leon “Ndugu” Chancler → Jazz-funk drummer, percussionist and sessionman, worked The Crusaders, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Michael Jackson (drummed on “Billie Jean”, #1, 1983), Carlos Santana, Frank Sinatra, Donna Summer, Weather Report and many others
1952 ● Dan Akroyd → TV and film actor, singer, portrayed “Elwood Blues” in the Saturday Night Live skit and spin-off band The Blues Brothers, “Soul Man” (#14, 1979)
1956 ● Phil Solem → Singer, songwriter, co-founder of power pop Great Buildings, which became The Rembrandts, “I’ll Be There For You” (#17, 1995), the theme song to the TV situation comedy Friends
1959 ● Edem Ephraim → With Dennis Fuller, one half of Brit/Austrian dance-europop London Boys, “London Nights” (UK #2, 1989), died with Fuller in a car collision on 1/21/1996, age 36
1960 ● Ted Key → Bassist for Brit jangle-guitar pop-rock The Housemartins, “Caravan Of Love” (UK #1, 1986)
1960 ● Evelyn “Champagne” King → R&B/disco and post-disco singer, “Love Come Down” (#17, Dance/Club #1, 1982)
1963 ● Roddy Bottum → Keyboards for influential metal/funk/hip hop/punk fusion band Faith No More, “Epic” (#9, 1990)
1964 ● Pol Burton → Drummer for punk-pop-dance Transvision Vamp, “Baby I Don’t Care” (, 1983)
1971 ● Melissa “Missy” Elliott → Hugely successful, four time Grammy-winning female rapper and songwriter, “Work It” (#2, 2002), producer, wrote “If Your Girl Only Knew” (#11, Dance/Club #6, 1996) for Aaliyah
1971 ● Adam MacDougall → Keyboards for roots/raunch rock The Black Crowes, “Hard To Handle” (Mainstream Rock #1, 1991)
Jul 02
1917 ● Murry Wilson → Tough-love patriarch, business manager, co-producer and publisher for Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilsonn in the formative years of sunshine pop/surf rock The Beach Boys (“I Get Around,” #1, 1964), dismissed as manager by Brian in 1964 and died from a heart attack on 6/4/1973, age 55
1925 ● Marvin Rainwater (Percy) → One quarter Cherokee country, rockabilly and pop singer, “Gonna Find Me A Bluebird” (#18, Country #3, 1957) and “Whole Lotta Woman” (#60, UK #1, 1958), age 88
1927 ● Lee Allen → Early rock ‘n’ roll tenor saxophonist and session musician in New Orleans in the 50s, played on many hits by Fats Domino (“I’m Walking,” #4, R&B #1, 1957), Little Richard (“Tutti Frutti,” #14, R&B #2, 1956) and others but found little success on his own except for “Walkin’ With Mr. Lee” (#54, 1958), performed with Fats Domino through the 70s, and with Stray Cats and The Blasters in the 80s, died on 10/18/1994, age 67
1936 ● Tom Springfield (Dion O’Brien) → Vocals and songwriting with sister Dusty Springfield in light folk-pop trio The Springfields, “Silver Threads And Golden Needles” (#20, 1962)
1937 ● Dee Palmer (David Palmer) → Classically-trained composer, arranger and keyboardist with long-lived Brit folk-rock Jethro Tull, “Living In The Past” (#11, 1973), underwent male-to-female sex change operation in 2004
1939 ● Paul Williams → Vocals for R&B giants The Temptations, “My Girl” (#1, 1965) and Grammy-winning “Papa Was A Rolling Stone” (#1, 1972), shot himself to death on 8/17/1973, age 34
1942 ● Leapy Lee (Graham Pulleybank) → One hit wonder Brit comedian and stage actor turned country-pop crossover singer, “Little Arrows” (#16, Country #11, 1968)
1945 ● Peter Cruikshank → Bassist for blues-rock power trio The Groundhogs, which had three UK Top 10 albums in the early 70s, including Split (1971)
1949 ● Roy “The Professor” Bittan → Keyboards and synthesizer for Bruce Springsteen‘s E Street Band, session work for David Bowie, Jackson Browne, Dire Straits, Peter Gabriel, Meat Loaf, Stevie Nicks, Bob Seger, others
1950 ● Duncan Mackay → Keyboards for glam rock Cockney Rebel, “Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)” (UK #1, 1975)
1952 ● Johnny Colla → Saxophone and guitar for pop-rock bar band Huey Lewis & The News, “The Power Of Love” (#1, 1985)
1954 ● Pete Briquette → Bass and vocals for Irish pop-punk Boomtown Rats, “I Don’t Like Mondays” (#73, 1979) and “Rat Trap” (UK #1, 1979), the first rock song by an Irish band to reach #1 in the UK
1955 ● Jerry Hall → Fashion model and sometime actress known chiefly for her marriage to Rolling Stone Mick Jagger in November 1990, ending in divorce in 1999
1956 ● Jeffrey Cooper → Backing vocals for synth-dance-funk Midnight Star, “Operator” (#18, R&B #1, 1990)
1957 ● Mike Anger → Bassist in New Wave pop-rock Blow Monkeys, “Digging Your Scene” (#14, 1986)
1961 ● Ann-Marie Teresa Antionette “Annie” Ruddock → Vocals and saxophone for Brit reggae-pop-ska band Amazulu, “Too Good To Be Forgotten” (UK #5, 1986)
1964 ● Roy Boulter → Drummer for Brit synth-pop The Farm, “Groovy Train” (#41, Dance/Club #4, 1991)
1965 ● Dave Parsons → Bassist for punk-pop-dance Transvision Vamp, “Baby I Don’t Care” (, 1983), joined alt-rock Bush, “Glycerine” (Mainstream #4, 1995) in 1992
1970 ● Monie Love (Simone Wilson) → Former protégé of Queen Latifah and member of Native Tongues hip hop collective, solo rapper, “It’s A Shame, My Sister” (#26, Dance/Club #2, 1991)
1974 ● Rocky Gray → Drummer for Grammy-winning goth-pop-metal Evanescence, “Bring Me To Life” (#5, 2003), played lead guitar for Christian metal Living Sacrifice and drums for other metal bands in his native Arkansas
1983 ● Michelle Branch → Teen pop singer/songwriter and guitarist, “All You Wanted” (#6, 2002) and duet with Carlos Santana, “The Game Of Love” (#5, 2002), then formed country-pop The Wreckers, “Leave The Pieces” (#34, Country #1, 2006)
1985 ● Ashley Michelle Tisdale → Model, actress and singer in High School Musical movies (most watched cable TV movies ever), solo, “It’s Alright, It’s OK” (Dance/Club #20, 2009)
